Is SEO Copywriting Worth the Investment?

From keyword stuffing to over-optimization, SEO experts and business owners alike are wary of ‘SEO copywriting’ being yet another SEO buzzword – no meat, full of fluff.

And they aren’t wrong. ‘SEO copywriting’ brings with it a steady stream of writers that assert that good content is all about the word count, how many keywords you use, etc. Copywriters far and wide have hopped on the SEO train with dollar signs in their eyes, seeing that there’s much money to be made in the industry.

The problem? Many copywriters don’t know the first thing about what ‘good SEO’ is, or how it translates into content that actually drives traffic. This is what makes it so hard to know whether SEO copywriting is, in fact, a good investment.

So, is it?

The Death of the $5 Blog Post

Hop on Fiverr and you are bound to find pitches for $10, $5, and even $3 blog posts. As a business owner or even a digital marketer, it makes sense to keep costs low by hiring the best (but mainly cheapest) option. Unfortunately, you may be jeopardizing quality in the process.

On these sites, it seems to be a race to the bottom where copywriters are lowering their prices just to be competitive. The result is that great copywriters and not-so-great copywriters melt together and it’s difficult to splice them apart – making it even harder for employers to find the best fit for them. Ultimately, this leads people to opt for the lowest price point and hope for the best.

Screenshot from Fiverr “blog post” search results.

Though it is possible to find good content for under $5 a pop, it is certainly the exception and not the rule. That’s why considering the Return on Investment (ROI) is the best approach to hiring a copywriter – even if it’s at a higher price point.

This is where SEO copywriters rise above the rest. With data on their side, they can show you exactly where your money is going, and how much traffic (and sales) they are bringing into your business.

Good Copywriting is Worth What You Pay for it (Usually)

With a low barrier to entry, the field of copywriting is filled with writers from all across the board. There are great copywriters at $5 a post, and horrible writers that charge $50 or more. That being said, it is typically true that good content is worth the price tag – while cheap content comes with a wide range of issues.

With cheap inexpensive content, you can run into a world of problems:

Scraped content from other sites

“spun” blog posts

plagiarism

hidden links

“dirty” HTML

no SEO

boring copy

not written with target audience in mind

grammatical errors

The list goes on and on. The problem is, a lot of these issues are hidden in plain sight, and an undiscerning business owner may not even recognize them as an issue. The result could range from bad grammar, to copyright infringement, to even a content penalty. No bueno.

SEO copywriting is a different story. Though it may be at a higher price point, you can rest assured that your content is setting you up for success.

“Expensive” SEO copy includes:

100% original content

interesting, engaging copy

clean HTML

no shady links

effective internal linking

keyword research

On-page SEO

written with your focus audience in mind

captures your business message

drives traffic

drives sales

The most important point in this entire list is DRIVING SALES. This is what sets SEO copywriting apart from all of the rest. By tracking how much money this content is bringing to your business, you can begin to see copywriting in terms of ROI.

To be blunt, those $5 blog post may be words on a page, but if they aren’t bringing you any sales, what’s the point? (Please don’t hit me.)

SEO Copywriting is Made for Driving $ales

It all comes down to one simple question: What are you trying to achieve with the content on your site?

If the answer is “just to keep up with blog posts”, then SEO copy may not be for you. (I’d also ask, why invest time and energy into keeping up with a blog if it’s not bringing you any results, Hmm? *sips tea*)

But if your answer is along the lines of “drive more traffic to my website” or “make more money, baby!”, then you have come to the right blog post. Because ultimately, SEO copywriting is the competitive difference maker that will make your content WORK for you by bringing in the moolah!

SEO copy is written for people, but with search engines in mind. It reels in your target audience, and serves the purpose of increasing your overall SEO. Those two factors alone means more traffic and $$$ for your business. And with analytics tracking, you are able to see exactly how much of a return you are getting on your investment. What’s not to love?

SEO Copywriting Ain’t Cheap, but it is Affordable

To be transparent, our current rate for blog posts is $50 per 500 words. It’s not the most expensive stuff out there, but it’s certainly not cheap. But is it AFFORDABLE? Well, that depends.

Let’s say your typical customer makes you $30, on average. Maybe for you, that means they buy a custom t-shirt on your e-commerce site, or signs up for a 30-minute consultation. Either way, that’s money in the bank.

Thing is, you want more money in the bank. So you write a blog post. Or pay someone to write a blog post. You share it on social media. Then you sit…. and you wait… and nothing happens. You made $0. *womp womp*

So next time around, you cringe as you hand $50 over for another blog post. This one just happens to be SEO-friendly. You share it on social. Then you sit… and you wait… and ka-ching! You just made a sale. And another. And another. Suddenly, you are $40 richer.

Now, that may not seem like a lot. We get it. But consider that our clients, on average, make about $1000 per new customer. Suddenly, they’re singing a whole different tune.

While paying $5 for a blog post may seem like a smart financial move, if it’s not bringing you any more money, you are still out 5 bucks. But if an investment in a $50 post meant $50 or more in sales, you’re going from $5 in the hole to seeing real profit. Now that’s affordable.

Fine. You’ve Convinced Me. Now What?

Say you’re ready to jump on the SEO copy wagon… now what? You may be asking, ‘How do I know if an SEO copywriter is the real deal?’, or ‘How much should I pay?”

These are all great questions to ask, and depend a lot on what industry you are in and what your goals are. Ultimately, a great SEO copywriter will be able to show you the tangible results they have gotten for their past clients, and have an understanding of what is needed to help you make a splash in your industry. You may find that their prices are variable, and that’s a good thing. That means that they are considering a variety of factors in determining the best SEO content plan for your business.

When considering copywriters for your business, be sure to ask the hard-hitting questions. Ask them about their knowledge of SEO, how they track ROI, and what makes their writing stand out from the rest. As with any investment, it’s important to be informed and make the decision that makes sense for your business goals. Don’t take any “fluff” as an answer.

Does Keys&Copy Do This? Funny You Should Ask…

Time for the shameless plug.

Here at Keys&Copy, we are all about bringing in real results for our clients. With high-quality SEO copy, our clients have increased their traffic and driven more sales through their websites, ads, and marketing channels. In other words, we are the real deal.

We are transparent through every step of the process. So, if you have questions right out-the-gate, send them our way.

Or, if you are more of a hit-the-ground-running sort of fella, we can handle that too. Our running shoes are ready to go.

Jessica Foster is an SEO copywriter and consultant at Keys&Copy. Follow along on the blog and social media for the latest tidbits of SEO knowledge, trends, and content marketing tips. She sort of loves her job.

1 thought on “Is SEO Copywriting Worth the Investment?”

I have started an ad agency and will likely need some SEO copywriting. I also have another business that’s a Chicken Seasoning called Ryan’s Rub. I also have a Shopify store that’s just using my domain for now. Redoing site. I also am a Realtor and Insurnace Agent.